Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish, and this week's theme is
"January 19: Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR!"
1. The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel
In Lisbon in 1904, a
young man named Tomás discovers an old journal. It hints at the
existence of an extraordinary artifact that—if he can find it—would
redefine history. Traveling in one of Europe’s earliest automobiles, he
sets out in search of this strange treasure.
Thirty-five years
later, a Portuguese pathologist devoted to the murder mysteries of
Agatha Christie finds himself at the center of a mystery of his own and
drawn into the consequences of Tomás’s quest.
Fifty years on, a
Canadian senator takes refuge in his ancestral village in northern
Portugal, grieving the loss of his beloved wife. But he arrives with an
unusual companion: a chimpanzee. And there the century-old quest will
come to an unexpected conclusion.
The High Mountains of Portugal—part
quest, part ghost story, part contemporary fable—offers a haunting
exploration of great love and great loss. Filled with tenderness, humor,
and endless surprise, it takes the reader on a road trip through
Portugal in the last century—and through the human soul.
2. Exit, Pursued by A Bear by E.K. Johnston
Hermione Winters is
captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this
doesn’t mean what you think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don’t
cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team—the pride and joy
of a tiny town. The team’s summer training camp is Hermione’s last and
marks the beginning of the end of…she’s not sure what. She does know
this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone
slips something in her drink. And it all goes black.
In every
class, there’s a star cheerleader and pariah pregnant girl. They’re
never supposed to be the same person. Hermione struggles to regain the
control she’s always had and faces a wrenching decision about how to
move on. The assault wasn’t the beginning of Hermione Winter’s story and
she’s not going to let it be the end. She won’t be anyone’s cautionary
tale.
3. Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
June, Bette, and Gigi
have given their all to dance at Manhattan’s most elite ballet school.
Now they are competing one final time for a spot at the prestigious
American Ballet Company. With the stakes higher than ever, these girls
have everything to lose…and no one is playing nice.
June is
starting to finally see herself as a prima ballerina. However, getting
what she wants might cost her everything—including the only boy she’s
ever loved. Legacy dancer Bette is determined to clear her name after
she was suspended and accused of hurting her rival, Gigi. Even if she
returns, though, will she ever regain the spotlight she craves? And Gigi
is not going to let Bette—or the other dancers who bullied her—go
unpunished. But as revenge consumes her, Gigi may be the one who pays
the price.
After years of grueling auditions, torn ribbons, and
broken hearts, it all comes down to this last dance. Who will make the
cut? And who will lose her dream forever?
4. Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
THINGS FINLEY HART DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
• Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.)
• Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer.
• Never having met said grandparents.
• Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)
Finley’s
only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages
of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her
grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is real--and
holds more mysteries than she'd ever imagined, including a family of
pirates that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a
strange old wizard living in a house made of bones.
With the help
of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood
and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the
frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants
to save the Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.
Reality and fantasy collide in this powerful, heartfelt novel about family, depression, and the power of imagination.
5. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
The author of Between Shades of Gray returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.
In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and
thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all
of them with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and
Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises
salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to
unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other
tested with each step closer toward safety.
Just when it seems
freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor
culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight
for the same thing: survival.
6. A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken
The galaxy is at war.
Although
the Rebel Alliance has won a few battles against the Empire, hope is
fading. The Empire is about to unveil the greatest weapon the galaxy has
ever seen--the Death Star. The Rebels' only chance to defeat it now
lies in the unlikely hands of a princess, a scoundrel, and a farm
boy....
7. Captive Prince: Volume One by C.S. Pacat
"This was Vere, voluptuous and decadent, country of honeyed poison"
Damen
is a warrior hero to his people, and the truthful heir to the throne of
Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured,
stripped of his identity and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation
as a pleasure slave.
Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new
master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in
the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems,
and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he
must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.
For
Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity.
Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to
hate him than anyone else...
8. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
A summer in Italy turns
into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with
romance, mystery, and adventure.
Lina is spending the summer in
Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and
fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying
wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t
around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.
But
then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in
Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances,
art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the
ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a
secret that has been kept from Lina for far too long. It’s a secret that
will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and ever
herself.
People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.
9. The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer
Five teens backpack
through Europe to fulfill the mysterious dying wish of their friend in
this heartwarming novel from the author of The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn
Academy.
Jesse lives with his history professor dad in a house
covered with postcards of images of the Madonna from all over the world.
They’re gotten used to this life: two motherless dudes living among
thousands of Madonnas. But Jesse has a heart condition that will
ultimately cut his life tragically short. Before he dies, he arranges a
mysterious trip to Europe for his three cousins, his best friend, and
his girlfriend to take after he passes away. It’s a trip that will
forever change the lives of these young teens and one that will help
them come to terms with Jesse’s death.
With vivid writing,
poignant themes, and abundant doses of humor throughout, Kate Hattemer’s
second novel is a satisfying journey about looking for someone else’s
answers only to find yourself.
10. Once Was a Time by Leila Sales
In the war-ravaged
England of 1940, Charlotte Bromley is sure of only one thing: Kitty
McLaughlin is her best friend in the whole world. But when Charlotte's
scientist father makes an astonishing discovery that the Germans will
covet for themselves, Charlotte is faced with an impossible choice
between danger and safety. Should she remain with her friend or journey
to another time and place? Her split-second decision has huge
consequences, and when she finds herself alone in the world, unsure of
Kitty's fate, she knows that somehow, some way, she must find her way
back to her friend. Written in the spirit of classic time-travel tales,
this book is an imaginative and heartfelt tribute to the unbreakable
ties of friendship.
What's on your lists?
xx
Sunny
